Seventy-five percent of affordable multifamily housing developments surveyed nationally reported insurance premium hikes over 10% between 2022 to 2023 according to a National Multifamily Housing Council report. Bloomberg and other news outlets have been reporting how “rising insurance rates are crushing affordable housing” which led to a Senate Committee hearing in Congress last year.

At the Barre Elk's Lodge last week, over 200 small-scale home builders, investors and community leaders celebrated the completion of the new "Homes for All" Toolkit. Published by the Vermont Department of Housing & Community Development, the workbook is intended to activate incremental development and gentle-infill by giving new developers and community partners information for developing "Missing-Middle" homes, such as a duplex or four-plex.  

Planning is off and running for the 2024 Statewide Housing Conference. This in-person, biennial conference has been an inspiring tradition for Vermont housing professionals for the past 20 years. 

This is the only conference that brings together housing professionals from across the state to cover a comprehensive range of topics like housing development, single family financing, affordable housing, housing policy, local planning for housing, homelessness, and other special topics. This event typically draws over 400 attendees and evaluations are consistently positive about the opportunities to network, learn, and be inspired. 

VHFA is pleased to be partnering with and participating in the upcoming community investment forum “Leveraging Partnerships and Capital: Unlocking Barriers to Affordable Housing and Economic Development” on April 16 in Manchester, presented by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. The Manchester forum will be one of eight events throughout New England as part of the series. 

Speakers at the Manchester forum include: